General History of the Region
The debate of the region's origin remains in debate, but significant historical accounts come up from approximately 35,000 years ago from the first Elven refugees who gated themselves into the area now known as the Kingdom of Asterphalia in an attempt to flee from a plague that had devastated their home plane. This sect of High Elves (known as the Or'chalthir) were wary of outside interaction with other races and silently colonized other forests as the centuries passed by and their numbers grew. Their highly matriarchal society eventually relaxed upon finding other "civilized" races like the Dwarves in their mountain strongholds, but otherwise preferred to remain isolated until several millennia passed when they were forced to emerge from their protective groves. A new plague broke out almost 10,000 years ago, once more shrinking the Elves' numbers and causing mass exodus across the region. A number of Elves disenfranchised from the restrictive Matriarchy traveled to the Southwest and settled the plains; planting trees and establishing themselves as politically and culturally independent. These clans recovered more quickly than their northern cousins and grew into larger settlements, opting to unify under a loose republic whenever mutual cooperation required it. These Elves referred to themselves as the Nachandi and to this day interact the most with non-Elven peoples. Nearly 5,000 years ago, an expedition of these Nachandi-Elves expanded their influence to the Luthini Isles and founded the famous Enchanter's Academy that still teaches Enchanters to this day. About 2,000 years before the Elven exodus (or roughly 12,500 years ago), the Carnac Empire had reached its apex. To the far Southwest, a small collection of stone giant forts had grown into a sprawling Empire that nearly stretched all the way to the now known Kingdom of Draziir. These stone giants constructed gargantuan granite cities in the most desolate regions of the desert mountains. It is from the ancient Carnac Empire that Modern Dwarven script is derived, as well as other technologies now taken for granted like clear glass, metal casting, and their greatest cultural contribution, statue carving. To this day their ruins are littered with statues carved in their likeness; the most famous of which now stands in Carthagas' city center. It's height stands at almost 100 feet tall and is rumored to have cost the lives of nearly 10,000 slaves in its transportation. It is believed what caused this mighty civilization to meet its end was due to Manscorpians. Striking from their subterranean cities, the "stingers" hit key fortresses with their armies, utilizing their deadly poison to strike down the mighty stone giants. The remaining giants to this day are a shadow of their former glory in their isolated strongholds, but the enmity between the two races never ended. Approximately 2,500 years ago, the state now known as the Nagarst Hegemony began a series of wars to expand their territory. These humans, rumored to be escaped slaves from extraplanar entities in the far East, mastered bronze-working and set upon the Nachandi Free Cities after conquering the ancestors of the Faraldi to the North. Despite being technologically superior and possessing greater magic, the Elves eventually folded and grudgingly forfeited their northern holdings in exchange for vassalage and cessation of hostilities. This agreement was met with joy from the humans, but caused no small number of Elves to once again trek East where they found a great oasis and planted the seeds that would eventually become Faenara City. The remaining Nachandi used subtlety to quietly strike against their human occupiers, but true conflict began to blossom when the Nagarst Hegemony pushed into to Kingdom of Kollias. About 2,000 years ago, the apex of conflict between the Nagarst Hegemony and the other major human power came into direct conflict. The Kollain-Human tribes were always on friendly terms with their Dwarven neighbors and largely ignored the Elven settlers to the east, instead choosing instead to carve their holdings northward against the swarms of goblinoids that threatened to devour their farmsteads. Unlike their southern counterparts, the Kollians had learned to smelt iron and some of their kings even sported steel armor. The large conscript armies of the South were slaughtered through superior tactics and arms, but the Kollians were eventually overrun from their coastal cities, and only when the port-city of Lykaon was captured did the Elven Kingdom of Asterphalia finally decide to intervene. Fearing a bloody war that would march directly onto their ancient doorstep, the Or'chalthir sent their mightiest mages, rangers and warriors to aid the beleaguered humans and their stout Dwarven allies. The final showdown took place nearly 3 miles from present day Elzi's Naval and broke the Hegemony's armies and a battle that numbered the hundreds of thousands. For nearly 1,000 years the Nagarst Hegemony struggled to hold onto its holdings as their soldiers and finances were stretched to the limit. For centuries they lost territory after territory, until finally retaining their homeland north of the Nachani Free Cities. From there they erected large barriers and fortifications to prevent their former subjects from ever launching a crusade of retribution against their homeland. Although their Empire brought writing, mathematics, and other forms of "civilization" with it, the Hegemony practiced widespread slavery, a brutal priest class and depravity towards "non-citizens." For about 300 years the region began to heal and trade began to occur more regularly once more and the coastal cities began to flourish. About 700 years ago the first human trading companies began to form as newer ships were developed to reach farther away locales. Islands were mapped out more thoroughly in the East and the isle of Semela began to be more thoroughly colonized and exploited. Merchants and pirates grew in equal measure as the number of seafaring peoples increased. During this time, the isle of Draziir was discovered by humanity and its strange alliance between its native Dwarven peoples and dissident Drow clans. Human explorers eventually stumbled across the Dijinni nations to the East about 500 years ago, although their strong navies have prevented further expansion in that direction. In fact most peoples aren't that concerned with the East so much as they are in guarding their borders, expanding their infrastructure, and enviously regarding their neighbors' trade goods. Trade ships do pass between the Pirate Confederacy and the Dijinnis' closest protectorate, but only about 1/3 of ships are successful in evading pirates, avoiding Dijinni slavers, and negotiating the high prices. Still, huge treasures of spices, silk and other wonders continue to pour into all nations harbors, making the investment too tempting to resist.